The Rise of China in Asia

One of the most significant events in international affairs after the end of the Cold War is the rapid economic growth of China, an authoritarian state. Spanning 40 years, China has made remarkable progress, with an average double-digit economic growth rate. Asia is the best region to analyze the dynamic pattern of China’s rise. More than 30 years after the end of the Cold War, while China’s rise is evident, it has not achieved absolute dominance in Asia and is still struggling to forge a regional order that works in its favor. The Asian region currently features three prominent characteristics. First, there is no regional economic integration movement that spans the entire Asian region, nor is there a regional institution like the European Union that spans most of Europe. Second, among the numerous organizations in the Asian region, most are regional organizations for economic cooperation, while there are few regional organizations related to security. Third, while the US plays an important role in the security arena in Asia, China is beginning to play a central role in the economic sector. This chapter explains the characteristics of the current Asian regional order from the perspective of China’s Asian policy after the end of the Cold War, and it verifies how the characteristics of the Asian regional order were created amidst Chinese policy and the reaction to China from Asian countries.